


The Princess and The 'Pauper'

by TheNameIsZ (curiouslygray)



Series: 14 Days of Valentines [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Medieval, Middle Ages, Royalty, background homophobia, it's mentioned in passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 14:53:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17664647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouslygray/pseuds/TheNameIsZ
Summary: After the Zor-Els are overthrown, the Luthors take over. Kara, the sole survivor, is tasked to be Princess Lena's handmaiden.





	The Princess and The 'Pauper'

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: What is this?” The servant’s voice had gone hoarse, looking at the spread of food, the clean room, the...gift. Their heart pounded. “I know I don’t often act like I...appreciate everything you do for me.” The prince looked devastatingly earnest, one hand warm on his servant’s arm. “You called me as useless as wet paper yesterday.” “And I stand by that opinion,” a smirk tugged at the prince’s lips. His hand squeezed. “But you’re occasionally tolerable. So.” He nudged the servant closer to the table.

After the revolution in Krypton, the Luthor family took over the throne. The previous royal family - the Zor Els- were executed except for two: Astra and Kara. Astra had betrayed her family at the belief that the Luthors would do a better job of running the kingdom. She was given the position of General, only to later die mysteriously in her bedchambers. Kara was assigned to be Lena’s handmaiden, assisting her in daily tasks from helping her dress and bringing her food to cleaning her room and clothes. At first, the two did not get along. They did not hate each other persay, but Kara still held a grudge against the Luthors and Lena was told time and time again by her mother that she was above Kara, despite her “royal blood”.

As they grew older though, they came to an understanding. Astra told Kara that she was the reason for the revolution, trying to explain to her how her parents were causing the kingdom a great deal of debt and many of the villagers were unhappy with their rule. Kara did not agree with her method, but understood Astra’s concern. Kara also realized that Lena had nothing to do with the events. She was simply a child then - not much younger than Kara herself at the time. Neither of them had a hand in the ruling or the revolution. In turn, Lena realized that rank through royal blood or title was not as important as her mother taught her. She watched as commoners showed more empathy to those around them than the people in power, whose terrible actions Lena sometimes experienced first hand.

Kara watched as Lena grew older, her dark hair growing longer and the baby fat shedding from her body. Kara also grew, becoming thinner from the meager meals and hands growing callused from the physical work she’s done. She acknowledged Lena’s beauty when she was young, but as they grew older, Kara realized that her affection for the woman would have been forbidden had it come to light. What Kara didn’t know was that Lena had to come to this realization herself, acknowledging as well that her mother would never have approved of her being in love with her handmaiden, especially due to that handmaiden’s lineage. Besides, Lena would probably be married off to a local lord and her brother would take the throne.

It was one morning when Kara had entered Lena’s chambers to wake her that it changed. The princess was fast asleep, a light snore coming from her. Kara smiled, and set about readying the room for Lena. She set out possible dresses for the princess to wear for that day as well straightening up her desk. Lena often wrote letters or stories here, insisting to Kara that the stories were not worth her reading. Kara has always been curious as to what the princess was writing, but she usually put them away, hiding them. 

This morning, there was just one page of written text. Kara slowly straightened up the desk as she read, eventually slowing to the point where it was obvious that Kara was reading it, not believing her eyes.

A princess was reading in a secluded part of a garden next to a rose bush. She was waiting for someone. As more time passed, the princess became convinced that the person wouldn’t come. But, sure enough, as the princess was about to leave, a girl stepped in the clearing. Kara’s as widened at the description the girl: blue eyed with long blonde hair, a slim frame with calloused hands, and a simple dress as she was a servant. The girl approached the princess, stopping a few feet away. They exchanged some brief words, the princess saying that she didn’t think the servant would show up. The servant admitted that she almost didn’t. The princess took a step closer, sliding her hand into the servant girl’s. The rest was scratched out, but Kara could swear that she could make out the phrase “leaned in and kissed her”.

“This…” Kara thought, “This is about us."

“Kara?”

She jumped, holding the piece of paper still, and turned to face the bed where Lena was sitting up, yawning and running her hand through her hair.

“What have you got there?” Lena asks.

Kara sputters, trying to think for a reason to give her. Lena squints, looking back and forth between the paper in Kara’s hand, the bare writing desk, and Kara’s red face. She jumps out of bed, crossing the room quickly before grabbing the paper out of her hand. As she looks at the paper, Kara ducks her head. When Lena speaks, her voice is small.

“Did you read this?”

Kara just nods. She knew she shouldn’t have, Lena kept her writing to herself. She never liked it when people read her work, nor when people did things behind her back in general.

Lena was silent, shoving the paper into a book and putting it away, “I told you to not read my writing.”

“I’m sorry, princess. I won’t do it again.”

“You best not.”

After a few awkward moments, Kara looked up. She was surprised to see the light blush on her cheeks, but not surprised to see the spark of anger in her eyes.

Unsure as to how to move forward for this moment, Kara began to run Lena through her schedule for the day, showing her the dresses she had picked out. She helped her into the dress, making sure everything was fastened properly. Kara then followed Lena to the silver polished mirror where she brushed her hair and braided it back. After Lena ate breakfast from the tray of food Kara brought her she departed to sit in on her brother hearing the requests of the townsfolk. 

The entire time that Lena sat there, she didn’t hear a single word said. All she could think about was the fact that Kara had read the story. She hadn’t meant to leave it sitting out. She had simply forgotten about it. It was a story born out of frustration and she had nothing else to say. All she could do was hope that Kara did not go to her brother or, god forbid, her mother about it. While they may not believe Kara, Lena would certainly still receive a talking to. 

Kara watched Lena as she sat on the throne to Lex’s left. She certainly didn’t look like she was focused on the requests. Kara would say that Lena looked like she was hoping the chair would open up and swallow her whole.

After some time, Kara dismissed herself. She began to work, mending a dress of Lena’s as well washing some of her own clothes. As she worked, her thoughts just kept returning to the story. Kara was certain the story had been about them. She knew that Lena loved to read in the garden, but Kara didn’t think Lena would have any interest in her. Despite her tainted lineage, Kara would be unable to provide for her what the lords courting her would be able to. Besides, it not like the Queen would even allow such a relationship.

But then she thought more about it.

She thought back to the moments of quiet friendship between them. Lena giving her portions of her own meals, complimenting Kara’s appearance even when Kara insisted that she was nothing compared to Lena. She thought of when they would exchange their childhood stories, skirting around the revolution. They read stories and poems to each other. Kara taught Lena how to embroider.

Kara thought about the long moments of closeness between them. They would lay against one another during moments of temporary reprieve, hidden away in Lena’s room or the hidden corner of the garden. The occasionally brush of their hands and the light blush as they looked away, but didn’t remove their hands for a few moments. Kara had even caught Lena watching her with a small smile as she does work. Not Lena hadn’t caught Kara doing the same.

Maybe there was more here than Kara first thought.

When Kara returned to Lena’s room, she was still absent. Possibly watching the knights train since it was just past midday. Her mother thought that it was imperative for Lena to watch them as one of them may become Lena’s husband. Kara’s stomach twisted up at the thought, something that had happened before but Kara never realized why. She had chalked it up to Lena leaving her and Kara would either be imprisoned or passed off to some other royalty. But now she realized it’s because Kara wanted to be Lena, not some lord of the kingdom.

Kara settled down at Lena’s writing desk, pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write.

When Lena returned to her bedroom, the sun was setting, the sky a soft orange blending with pinks. She hadn’t seen Kara since that morning, watching as she slipped out of the throne room. Anxiety still clawed at her stomach as she thought about Kara reading her story. It had been nothing but wishful thinking, a daydream about the two of them. It was her secret and now she had been exposed.

Lena crossed the room, coming to her desk, ready to throw out or burn the whole story. She stopped as she saw several pieces of parchment sitting there. The top one had the familiar looping writing she immediately recognized at Kara’s. It simply said: For Lena.

Tentatively, Lena picked them up and began to read. It was story written by Kara. It told of a princess who lost her family. When the new royal family came into power, she was allowed to remain in the castle, but as a handmaiden to the new princess. As the two grew up, the two grew closer, becoming friends. It told of them hiding away in the garden by the rosebush. It told of their late nights whispering stories in the darkness. It wasn’t until they were much older that the handmaiden realized she loved the princess, but knew nothing would come to fruition, despite her hopes otherwise.

She inhaled sharply as she read the admission of love.

The sound of the door shutting behind her caused Lena to jump and turn. Kara stood at the door, bashfully casting her eyes to the floor, shoulders slumped and her hands folded into each other. It seemed as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible.

The silence stretched out between them before Lena cleared her throat.

“Is this a joke?”

Kara’s head snapped up, eyes wide with fear, “W-what do you mean?”

Lena held the papers in her hand, gripping them enough to cause creases in the paper, and slowly crossed the room. “Are you making fun of me? Because I don’t find this funny.”

Panic filled Kara. She hadn’t been making fun of Lena at all. It had been written completely out of earnestness, trying to meet Lena in the middle. Show her that this wasn’t one sided. 

“It’s not a joke,” Kara responded, her voice wavering slightly, “It’s an admittance.”

Lena came to a stop a few feet from Kara. An admittance? Kara… Kara loved her back?

Her grip on the papers loosened.

“My mother hasn’t put you up to this, has she?”

Lillian had often sat Lena down before to discuss her future, her potential suitors, and what she needs to learn to be a dutiful wife. When Lena had been younger, she had ask her mother “What if I want to marry a lady and not a lord?” Lillian had been unkind to the idea and had never come around. She still would question Lena on occasion, trying to see if she still had “those tendencies”.

Kara cocked her head to the side in confusion, “Why would she have put me up to this?”

Lena just shook her head, “She believes that I am more interested in marrying a lady than a lord. Not that she is wrong, but she’s told me time and time again that a lifestyle of that sort is not suited for someone of my social standing.”

Kara’s heart sank. Just as she had thought. Lena would be married off to a lord and leave Kara behind. 

“I love you, Lena. Nothing can change that. Not even if you are married off to a lord of a distant land and leave me behind to serve your brother.”

“Do you really mean that?”

Kara closed the distance between them, removing the papers from Lena’s hands and setting them aside. She slid her hand into Lena's intertwining their fingers. 

“I do. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”

The two leaned in instinctively, pausing when their faces were only inches apart. They locked eyes, seeing no hesitation, and then met in the middle. 

It was a soft kiss only lasting a few seconds before they parted.

“What now?” Lena asked, voice barely above a whisper, “It’s not like we would be able to openly court each other.”

“We could do it in secret. I already spend my whole day with you. It wouldn’t be much of a change.”

“And if we get caught?”

Kara paused, thinking about the theoretical situation, “I’ll take the blame. Saying that I threatened to kill you if you told anyone or that I’d kill your family or something.”

Lena asked if Kara was sure she wanted to take the blame. Kara just responded by saying her family name had already been disgraced. Her family was already dead. A little more wouldn’t hurt. She spoke with small smile, the hurt slipping past her mask. 

“Well,” Lena said, placing a brief kiss on Kara’s cheek, “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

The two lounged on the couch, only parting for Kara to retrieve Lena’s dinner and her own. They rested together, returning to the poems and stories as they had before. 

A few days later, Lena had given Kara a lists of tasks for her to do, most of them mundane and pointless. But, being the loyal handmaiden she was, Kara did them. It kept her busy for most of the day, returning just past supper. Lena had told Kara to stop by her room when she was done with the tasks.

Kara knocked on the door when she arrived, brushing off her dress. The door cracked open, Lena standing there. She smiled upon seeing Kara, ushering her in. 

In front of Kara was a spread of food she hadn’t tasted in years. Fresh fruit, bread, and cheeses, as well as several thick slices of meat. A pitcher of beer sat on the table with two glasses beside it. 

“What is this?” Kara’s voice had returned to her after a few moments. Once her eyes had left the table, she noticed that Lena’s room was clean, something it had not been that morning.

Lena took her hand before speaking, “I wanted to thank you, for everything. For staying by my side for the past many years. For putting up with me on my difficult days.”

She sighed, ducking her head slightly before continuing, “I also wanted to apologize on behalf of my family for their actions. They are cruel people who, yes, are ambitious, but they take it too far.”

Kara just stood there, shellshocked at what was going on. They may have never directly discussed the revolution between the two of them, but they had both come to some sort of an unsaid understanding.

“You need not to apologize,” Kara said upon finding her voice, “It’s not like you were the one who led the charge. Or swung the sword to remove their heads.”

“I’ve still profited from it. Besides, I guess this is also a way of me courting you.” Lena nudged Kara towards the table, “Come on, let’s eat.”

Over the next few years, Lex slowly went off the deep end and “mysteriously died” in his bedchambers. Lena exposed Lillian of doing the same thing Allura and Zor-El had been overthrown of doing: putting the kingdom in massive debt. The general populous fought over who should take the throne: Lena or Kara.

In the end, they made a compromise and they both took it. On their coronation day, Lena handed Kara a book, leather bound and filled with yellowed pages, telling the story of a princess and her handmaiden falling in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Longer than the others posted so far, but I had a fun time writing backstory for this one. Hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> thenameisz.tumblr.com


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